


Protection (or in which the Druids do something right)

by Blue_Night_Blossom



Series: Magic's Sanctuary [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Pendragon Has Magic (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Elyan Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), F/M, Hunith doesn't know about Merlin's secret activities, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24507250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night_Blossom/pseuds/Blue_Night_Blossom
Summary: One druid in Ealdor is hiding from Uther as a matron and helps Hunith to deliver Emrys. The second she is out of the house she contacts her druid camp, who in turn contact every sorcerer that has been waiting for their Lord to teach and protect him.Merlin grows up balancing a double life: a farmer in Ealdor with his mother and Will and being the Lord and Ruler to the magic users.After all, the Old Religion has always been about Balance.
Relationships: Eventual Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Gwen/Leon (Merlin), Lancelot/OC, Merlin (Merlin)/Other(s)
Series: Magic's Sanctuary [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770808
Comments: 27
Kudos: 255





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. This is my firts fanfic and I'm really nervous. English is not my first language, so there can be grammar errors. I try to re-read the chapter before posting it, but sometimes it may escape my notice.
> 
> This book is complete, but the next one will be longer. Thank you for reading.

It was a hot summer day in Ealdor and Hunith was walking towards her house, her pregnant belly prominently displayed. The baby was due any day now and she made a point of staying near her house so as to not be caught by surprise. When she was near it, a neighbour dipped his head in acknowledgement and helped her carrying the water bucket into her house. When he was about to cross the threshold to leave, a gasp stopped him. He turned around and saw Hunith with a hand on her stomach, while her other hand was supporting herself. The man realized what was happening, so he started shouting for the matron.

By the end of the day, sixteen gruelling hours later, the baby was about to be born. The matron ushered out of the house everyone that had helped out in the delivery to give the mother privacy, the first moments with a child were something to be treasured. With a last push, a cry sounded and it rippled through Magic. Hunith extended her arms to receive her son, and when she held him the world seemed to stop around them. She looked at the tuff of black hair spouting from his head and smiled in happiness.

“Merlin, his name is Merlin” the world started spinning again, and a powerful wave of magic extended itself again, emanating from Merlin’s eyes, opened for the first time, their colour a daunting gold. Hunith felt herself die inside, her son was going to be destined to the pyre. Her eyes filled with tears as she started shaking inconsolably, while holding her baby close as if soldiers were going to appear immediately. The matron was in shock; she had helped with Emrys’ birth. She saw how Hunith was about to have a panic attack, so she intervened using a calming spell that went unnoticed by the hysteric woman.

After a while Merlin’s eyes returned to their original blue. The matron took a deep breath and started her plan, reminding herself this was for Emrys. She started speaking, startling Hunith, who remembered her presence and hugged the bundle of blankets tighter.

“I’m not going to cause any harm to your son” Liaronna was a druid that had been hiding from Uther three years and knew without a doubt that she had to communicate with her brethren to keep their little lord safe. “I’m a druid myself”.

When Hunith looked at her in surprise she caused the house to be free of dust with a muttered spell. When Hunith relaxed enough to believe that she was not a danger to her son she only asked one question:

“How can I hide my son’s magic?” Hunith was heartbroken, and she saw the world spinning faster and faster.

Liaronna looked at her with pity in her eyes and spoke two words that crumbled the woman’s world “You can’t”.

They said their goodbyes while little Merlin was being breastfed, and Liaronna repeated her promise to guard the secret with her life. Of course, she was going to run to the druids the second she could to tell them the good news, but they didn’t count. When Hunith was distracted she cast a spell on Emrys’ eyes to never show gold till he was old enough to understand. With that she left the house, telling the village that Hunith had a healthy son.

Inside her house Hunith composed herself and endured the happiness that her neighbours were sending her way while the world crumbled around her. When it finished and it was dark she cried herself to sleep.

When a couple of months had passed Hunith was paranoid, trying to predict when her son would do magic. One time he made his favourite toy come to him when she was resting after a tiring day, another he fixed her favourite pot, he purified the water from the well, and on one particularly close call he made Old Man Simmons trip on air because he was mean to her, but he was old so no one commented anything. And then Camelot knights just had to come to the village while Merlin was making himself float.

Hunith couldn’t take it anymore, she had given up on Merlin’s secret. He was going to be burnt at the pyre and there was nothing she could do about it if she was caught. She lived in constant fear of being discovered, of being forced to watch her baby burn, so the next day she went to the river and tried to drown him. The druid that was on watch duty was asleep. The night before he spent reversing Emrys’ magic so that he wouldn’t be in danger, so he was unaware of what was happening in front of him. Thankfully Hunith came back to herself and took Merlin out of the water and started crying, echoing little Merlin. 

The druid woke up, and seeing the situation muttered a spell so Emrys wouldn’t have any after effects and he almost fell to the floor in relief. After that incident there were three people on ‘Emrys’ duty’, one had to be a sorcerer, because the druids were peaceful people and did not condone killing.

Two and a half years later their three years old lord stumbled into their provisional camp, which they put together after the ‘river incident’, the druids on watch duty were surprised to see him looking at them with innocence, but with an undercurrent of knowledge and power.

“Hello little lord” a female druid said kneeling to be at his same height “Shouldn’t you be with your mother?”

“I don’t know where she is…” The little boy was smiling at the pretty woman that showed him such kindness, for in the village the only things that he heard were hurtful things “And what is a Lord?”

“When you are older we’ll tell you” the same woman touched tenderly his face, in awe of being so close to his Lord, and the child closed his eyes, trying to imprint it in his memory, for only his mother had touched him like that. “You can wait here with us for a little while “

That afternoon was one of the most peaceful things Merlin had experienced in his short life. Whenever his mother had to go to a neighbouring village to sell something he searched for the peaceful people that treated him with kindness. He was enamoured with the female druid, who made a point of being there to listen to him and to answer all the questions that he could think of, from ‘why the sky is blue’ to ‘why do the people in the village hate me’. Caliana’s heart broke at the second type of questions, but she still answered truthfully.

Moths passed, and Merlin was learning more and more about the druids and sorcerers that wanted him to grow happy. His favourite was Caliana, but he loved everyone that helped him understand his magic. He had a routine, one that his mother didn’t know about, she would be worried out of her mind if she even suspected half of the things he did. The druids had started teaching him about magic, about the weaving of the world, the way their eyes glowed gold when they did magic, the way his eyes had the same capability, about the need of keeping it a secret because if someone saw them some very bad things could happen, sorcerers taught him to control his powers, the druids taught him about the nature and that everything was connected by magic, and everything he needed to know at three years old.

Hunith didn’t notice anything, when her son returned from his excursions in the forest she only looked sadly at his three, almost four, years old. He should be playing with children his age, not getting lost in the forest. She noticed the way Merlin was almost bouncing on the chair when the time to go arrived, the way when he returned was smiling in a way that lighted her day too, the way he relaxed on their bed and went to sleep right away… Yes, the visits were good for him, that’s why she wasn’t going to say anything to him.

And then everything changed on the day before his fourth birthday.

The day started like any other, Merlin got dressed and had breakfast, a piece of bread with some porridge, and followed his mother around, helping her whenever he could, trying to be subtle, because if she saw him using magic he would be in trouble. Then they ate lunch and tried to tone down his excitement, today he was meeting Caliana near the river and he had made a necklace for her, it was a plain grey rock with a ‘C’ carved in the middle.

Merlin had put a lot of effort in this project, so he was very excited to give it to her. He arrived at the spot very early and hid in some bushes, but he fell asleep because of the heat and the sound the river made. Several hours passed with the child calmly sleeping in the bushes, but the peace was not meant to last. He woke up because of a scuffle near him, so he was immediately on high alert. He stood up, wanting to know what was happening, but what he saw wasn’t pretty. There were four knights surrounding Caliana, and she was bleeding deeply from a slash across her arm.

Merlin didn’t consciously make a sound, but the next moment the knights were looking at him. He was paralyzed, he couldn’t move a muscle, and when a knight made a motion to step towards him he backed away.

The knight stopped and looked in confusion at the kid, and saw he was looking at the woman. Most probably he didn’t know what she was and was scared that they were going to hurt him. He made a signal to carry the woman away to a place where the kid wasn't looking so they could chain her properly and sheathed his sword slowly so as to not startle the child and cause him to fall into the river. He took another step and the child seemed even more afraid, and then he knew why. The woman’s eyes were gold while she used her magic to push him into the river. The child was afraid of the woman, of magic, and he knew without question that his men were going to kill her.

Merlin watched in slow motion as his best friend used magic in front of people that could kill her knowing it was going to be her death. Then he Heard clear as day: _“Goodbye Little Lord, I know you will grow to be a just leader, you will be loved by the people just as I love you. Listen to people’s advice, but at the end do whatever your heart tells you to. I hope one day we’ll reunite in Avalon. I’m returning to Magic and I’m happy to have had the opportunity of knowing you”_. Then it happened. The knight that was closest to Caliana stabbed her. Merlin started sobbing in fear and sadness, his world blurry, his gaze trapped into the brown eyes that were so familiar to him and yet so different, gazing at nothing and everything at all.

He returned to reality as the knight that was pushed into the river kneeled before him soaking wet, touching his shoulder with a calm face.

“Don’t worry child, you’re safe now.” his voice was calm, but had a tint of hardness that Merlin didn’t like, but he played along, knowing that his life was in danger.

“I’m scared” he didn’t lie, he was terrified of the knights and in shock of the happenings of the evening, but there was a feeling of numbness expanding through him that put him on autopilot “I want to go home."

The knight looked at him with a sorrowful gaze but shook his head, pointed him to the way Ealdor was supposed to be and sent him on his way. When Merlin couldn’t see them anymore he ran. He ran towards where he knew he was going to be held and consoled, when no one would make fun of him because he was crying his heart out in pain, where he could be himself.

The first one to see him was Bardon, a very old druid, who upon feeling the distress call of Magic ventured out of the camp only to be pushed into it a second later by a very distraught Merlin, who started sobbing harder. He had gained the attention of the remaining sorcerer, who frowned at not seeing Caliana with him.

When Emrys was calm enough to tell them the story and he interiorized it, the sorcerer went to see if the knights had left Caliana's body near the river so they could bury her. Meanwhile, Bardon told the child about the Great Purge, the way a lot of sorcerers and druids were perishing at the hands of Uther Pendragon and about the Great Dragon chained below the castle of Camelot. He felt Merlin's pain, rolling from him in waves, and he doubted he was the only one feeling it, after all he was Magic and had a deeper connection now that he knew how to do it. When Merlin fell asleep in the arms of the aged man, he was moved to a bedroll, Bardon finally allowed himself to shed tears for his friend. The other sorcerer came back and shook his head, making him cry harder for not having a body to bury. Slowly, he also fell asleep next to Merlin.

The night passed slowly for all of the people in the magical community, not knowing what was causing the deep sadness in the air. The Catha, the Druids, people that were independent but had magic, the fairies, the centaurs, the griffins, everyone sensed the horrible sensation, knowing that in one place in Albion his Little Lord was hurting deeply. The first person he had allowed near him, the first person that held him while he cried because of the unfairness of the world, the person that had taught him most of the basics in his life was gone. He felt lonely in ways he had never felt before, he felt a hole in Magic, one that was being partially filled by Caliana's magic but in several different bodies. Magic recycles itself, and Caliana's wasn't going to be any different. He unknowingly blessed the person who had most of Caliana's magic, for it to protect him, not knowing that the person in question was a year older than himself and he didn't have magic till that moment. And when he finished blessing him he continued grieving for the magnificent person the world had lost, trying to cope with the abyss that were his emotions right now, one that could consume him if he wasn't careful.

In a cave far below the castle of Camelot the Great Dragon sensed the grief of Emrys and was saddened for the child, but smiled. Soon he would be free and no one would ever chain him again.

Merlin woke up in the middle of the night with a start and tried to locate himself. He managed to do so looking at his left, where Bardon was sleeping with tear tracks in his cheeks. He was confused, because normally it was Caliana who was there in the few times he had fallen asleep in their camp, but the memories of the day before rushed into his head, including the hunting of his people.

Unknowingly, his magic was reacting to his thoughts, it was making an exact replica of the places where magical people and creatures lived in hiding. The second it finished, a shockwave made itself known in the weaving of the world, calling every sorcerer, druid and magical creature to the land that Emrys had created. The only thing that they had to do is go to the closest forest and follow the gut feeling. Crossing the pathway had some conditions, ones that Magic was proud that they existed in his chosen’s heart. Magic was sure that when his chosen grew up he would update the conditions, but for now they were enough.

Not harm any creature within the Sanctuary, be pure of heart, be willing to offer aid to everyone in need and don’t use magic for evil.

Then there were some conditions for people without magic: Don't have evil/darkness corrupted hearts, don't hurt anyone in the Sanctuary, be creatures or otherwise and never tell the location to anyone (Never mind that Magic made it so no one could even try to tell any soul or guide someone with evil intentions there, only if an innocent was hurt)

Bardon woke up with a start at the calling that Magic issued, and looked towards their little lord, that was holding some sort of rock and smiled while his eyes filled with tears, they were going to be protected, he knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin has a talk with his mother and meets a new friend.

Six years later, Merlin was helping his mother and Will. His birthday passed quietly in Ealdor. His mother gave him a neckerchief and Will gave him a carving of a merlin hawk, gifts that Merlin treasured greatly. He reflected on what his life had been from the moment of Caliana’s death.

He had hidden his true skills, ones that were nurtured by the druids, but some of them were taught by his mother, such as reading and writing. Others, like his speech pattern and posture, were taught by his people, after all, he was their leader. 

He had changed from the little boy who visited the forest every hour of the day, and now he understood the importance of appearances. He had Old Man Simmons convinced that he was the cause of all his problems and that mentality had spread to the rest of villagers, who ostracized him (and that irked the druids to no end), but not his mother, for which he was thankful.

He had other qualities that were equally important: he learned humility and hard work from his mother. She was an example for him, unwavering in the face of difficulty. He aspired to be as kind and fierce as her, and never give up if he could still fight.

He also knew the value of friendship from Will, because when he visited his people he had a hood to protect his identity, which only the Council knew. The council was formed by the Druid clan leaders, a representative for each of the sentient magical creatures, three representatives of the sorcerers, two healers (Gaius’ Alice and Aliana, sister of the late Caliana) and Alator, of the Catha. They ruled Sanctuary in his stead, and when Merlin visited, he always was alone, no one his age willing to talk to him. That’s why he appreciated Will so much, he was the only one who stood by his side with no reason other than their friendship. 

An unexpected bonus was that he helped him to behave like a ten-year-old, because he was very mature and wise for his age, being surrounded by older people that looked at him as if he could do no wrong was something he had come to expect, so being living with someone that still saw you as your real age was a relief. The Council helped him, but the responsibility was still overwhelming, mainly because the druids knew that he was young, but they seemed convinced that he knew everything, which was false.

The day passed normally, other than his mother cooked his favorite food for dinner and he went to bed knowing that he had to go with his people. He dressed himself and went to pass through the kitchen when a voice startled him.

“Merlin,” he jumped and turned around. He saw his mother with a cup of tea between her hands looking at him with an emotion that he couldn’t identify and a ball of nerves made its presence known in his stomach.

“Mom” Merlin used all his diplomacy classes to leave his face blank of any emotion. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but I fear you wouldn’t answer me if I do” the sadness in Hunith’s voice was palpable and Merlin’s throat constricted at the feeling, while his gut started churning with guilt. He hadn’t been honest with her, but it was for her safety. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt because of one of his mistakes. His mother continued with the same tone. “I know you love the forest Merlin, and you have been sneaking at night to do heavens knows what. I knew it for some time, but sometimes you come back so defeated that I fear I have made the wrong choice. You have changed, and I’m scared that you will be in danger for it”.

The resigned tone on his mother had Merlin filled with a deep guilt that didn’t recede, even when he hugged her and reassured her that what he was doing was nothing dangerous. He knew he couldn’t skip this visit, any other day it could have been alright, but his birthday party was something akin to sacred to the druids, no matter how many times he had protested about it.

He prayed to Magic for guidance, something he had found that calmed his nerves, and knew what he had to do. It was a given that her mother wasn’t going to go to sleep and wait for his return, so he hugged her one last time while his eyes flashed gold. The effect was instantaneous, Hunith fell asleep and her son carried her to bed. When he was about to go out, he turned around and spelled the tea with a stasis spell so that when his mother woke up she could have something warm to drink.

His feet carried him to the familiar path without his notice, and he arrived to his personal pathway, one that ended in his tent and could be moved wherever he wanted. He crossed it without much thought and when he arrived he was surprised to find most of his Council there. When they saw him they went to their knees and muttered “Lord Emrys” with relief. They made him a summary of what was going to happen while he changed to typical druid grown. Then he was helped into his ceremonial cape, one that he could vanish with a thought but he never could put it on correctly.

“Nothing should have that many laces” Merlin grumbled to himself, personally offended that he couldn’t make the bloody special knot. Then he prepared himself mentally for getting out of the tent, and when he nodded, Alice opened the flap and silence ensued while everyone kneeled. Then night was a blur of people giving him well-wishes and bowing to him. Merlin did everything on autopilot, trying to be courteous, but his mind was in the conversation he had with his mother. 

One hour later, he saw children playing from where he was sitting in the presidential table and he located a boy that he had never seen before. The boy caught his attention because he was separated from the boisterous group, leaning on a tree looking at the mingling of people with a sad face. His chest ached in sympathy for him, he recognized the look, it was the same one he had when he encouraged Will to play with the other children and he was left out.

Without much thought, he estranged himself from the conversation he was having with Iseldir about the new children they were mentoring and excused himself and went to relieve himself. Then, when no one was looking vanished the cape to his tent and went to meet the new boy.

He approached him a little nervously, it was going to be the first interaction with someone his own age outside of Will, so he took a deep breath and walked decisively towards him.

“Hello, are you new?” Merlin watched closely the kid’s reaction, and along with surprise there was… pain? “I saw you were alone and decided to approach you, I hope you don’t mind…”

“Hello” the kid smiled tentatively, but that made Merlin want to know him more. “Yes, I arrived a week ago… I haven’t seen you around… What’s your name?”

“Merlin” he was ecstatic, he didn’t know anything about who he was “And yours?”

“The druids have named me Eghan” the boy seemed sad at that and Merlin was curious, so he asked.

“The druids? And your parents?” Meanwhile Merlin’s mind was working on possibilities. _” He must be one of the new apprentices that had magic and was in danger of being killed, but he is older than them for a long shot…”_

“My mother died bringing me here. She said that I was in danger if I stayed at home, and she managed to push me in one of the pathways before she was killed by a wolf” The boy hunched his shoulders while his eyes filled with tears, but he continued. “The druids changed my name, they said I had to start anew...”

“You don’t have to change your name if you don’t want to, no one should force something like that. There are more ways than the druidic one for you to choose” Merlin was moved by the way his (dare he say it) friend had lost his mother and he felt even worse remembering the conversation he had with his.

“I know, but the only children are from the druids and they said that I had to be with people my own age, so I have to obey” Eghan looked sad for a moment, but then changed the subject quickly. “How old are you?”

“I’m ten” Merlin omitted that it was his own birthday that they were celebrating, that would have been awkward. “And you?”

“I’m eleven” Eghan smiled and continued sadly “My sister gave me this ring for my birthday, is not much but she meant well, even though it’s too small for me, it’s the only thing I have to remember her for”

Merlin could relate, the only thing he had to remember Caliana was the necklace he was going to gift her on his fourth birthday, which he had hidden by a glamour and spelled up to high heaven for protection spells and runes, including detecting poisons. “If you want I can resize it for it to grow with your finger…” Merlin kicked himself for the idiotic idea, but he wasn’t going to let his friend lose the ring just because it was too small to wear. He waited for the negative that was sure to follow, but was surprised to find one of his hands being guided towards the little silver ring that was stopping the correct blood circulation.

With one last look at Eghan, he looked around and guided him into the forest. No one would think that they were in danger because the creatures were bound by the agreement, so they had all the time in the world. When they paused, Merlin muttered the correct spell for the auto resizing, but he chained it with a spell that caused that only himself would be able to take it off on his own free will, protection spells and a potion locator. It would burn if it was a poison meant to harm, including love potions, and would get pleasantly warm if it was a healing potion. He may had overdone it, but Eghan didn’t even notice the extras.

“Thank you” Eghan was almost in tears, but Merlin brushed it off, not wanting to be indebted for something so simple, but had a question burning in the back of his mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, there was a name carved in the ring, was it yours?” Eghan nodded a little in awe, but as Merlin had brushed off he thought that everyone could do it.” Do you want me to call you Eghan or…”? 

He left the question opened, and Eghan told him that if he was going to start anew he needed a new name. It was not that bad if he had a friend at his side that knew. That made both smile like loons.

“Where do you live, Merlin?” Eghan was curious, he thought that the druids had introduced him to all the children near his age, but here was another one, and one that didn’t mind talking with him.

“I live in Ealdor, Essetir, but my mother doesn’t know I come here, so I have to be cautious and visit when she doesn’t notice” Merlin’s face exuded grief about something that Eghan didn’t think he should know yet, so he distracted Merlin with a well-placed question. They talked for hours, and when they ran out of things they stayed in a comfortable silence, that was broken by another question and the cycle started again.

It sadly had to end when Alator telepathically called Merlin, telling him that he had to go if he wanted to reach his home before anyone noticed. He said his goodbyes to Eghan, promising to keep his name a secret and went back to his home with a smile on his face. 

When he returned to the Sanctuary he spent half of the time with the Council and the other half with Eghan, listening to him and talking freely, something not even he could do with Will. Eghan was a quiet boy, but a very perceptive one, Merlin had to give him that, he never broached the topic of parents, not even once.

A month later the problems started, Eghan couldn’t seem to have control over his magic like all his other classmates did, and he was frustrating both the teachers and himself. He couldn’t light a simple candle, he ended up with a torrent of fire instead. In one of those disasters he discovered that had affinity with Fire, but it was not the only element that was out of control for him. One time he made a tornado, even though he wanted to blow out the candle that one druid had light up, another he almost caused a flood, and so on. Other times he didn’t cause a spark or a light breeze, it was as if he didn’t have powers. 

Merlin didn’t hear this from his Council, he had to go and search for Eghan because he was hiding from him (a moot point because the wards told him where everyone was at any given time) and he found him with a vacant gaze in the place where Merlin had first enchanted his ring. 

He was so down, that something nasty rose on Merlin’s throat, wanting to lash out in anger and destroy those who had _dared_ to hurt his friend, but one look from Eghan stopped him on his tracks, so he sat down next to him and just listened to his worries and fears, making a mental note to lash out at his Council for not telling him this when it started. Eghan had been suffering for two months and no-one told him the almost-fatal blow-ups in his own kingdom! 

When he finished his last tale, the ostracizing that his acquaintances made him go through because they didn’t want to end in the Infirmary by partnering up with him, Merlin asked only one question.

“Why do you think it’s happening?”. Of course, he had an idea, but maybe Eghan had a theory that could be insightful to resolve the problem. There was no denying it, Eghan was powerful, the flood he almost caused had been solved (because he had been there by chance) but the tornado was trickier, mainly because Merlin wasn’t there and all the members of the Council passed out stopping it.

“It feels wrong… I don’t want to tell anyone because they’ll be even more overbearing than they are now, but …” he trailed off, trying to find the right words to explain his feeling. Merlin put his hand on top of Eghan’s knee, trying to convey calmness. “I know you will listen what I say and at least give me a chance” Eghan smiled and held Merlin’s hand. A blush spread through both of the boys faces, but, flustered, looked away.

“Well…” Merlin cleared his throat, that was strangely dry while he dropped the hold of Eghan’s hands (was that regret in his eyes?) “You were saying that something didn’t feel right…”

“Yeah… right…” Eghan tried to compose himself, returning to his earlier train of thought. “The way that we are taught to access magic, it feels wrong, demanding Magic to do something… “ He shut up abruptly at the look that Merlin was giving him, full of awe, and had the strange feeling that it should be turned around, but he continued. “I asked the teacher if it wasn’t easier to let magic flow, but he started a lecture of what would happen if something like that ever happened, and he said if he caught anyone doing that the person would be punished”

“Try” Eghan jumped at the sound of Merlin’s determination, and looked into his eyes, that were full of conviction and he acquiesced. He thought of an easy spell that wouldn’t be disastrous if out of control, but he couldn’t think of one, so he went with a fire one, one that he could reverse more easily than the rest if it went wrong. 

He closed his eyes and felt his magic, and willed to make a fireball in his palm, letting it flow. He extended his palm and was surprised by the light brush of fingers against it. When he opened his eyes the image that presented itself to him was sure one that he would treasure forever. A little fireball in his palm, and Merlin’s eyes looking at him with happiness. That’s when he knew he would do anything to preserve it, and if it meant protecting him from harm, he would. 

What neither child realized was that their magic had already known each other instinctually, after all, the magic recycles, and Emrys had already protected the one that had the most part of Caliana’s magic, now it was time for Eghan to return the favor by swearing himself to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eghan is going to do his best while Merlin is left to oversee the chaos.

The sun was shining in the clearing chosen for the trials for the young (and not so young) sorcerers, and in the stands were the Council, including Emrys. Every competitor felt awe while looking at the hooded teenager, feeling his magic, trying to impress him with their vast magical reserves, ones that seemed infinitesimally small in comparison to His. Every competitor except one.

The challengers sneered at the fifteen-year-old boy that wanted to participate next to the deadliest sorcerers of this age. Eghan was ready to explode, but not from nerves, but for expectation. He was seen as a weak magical opponent because of his abysmal work in classes. The teachers had cataloged him as a lost case, the failure that couldn’t control his magic. He had been given a weak magic suppressor right before the start of the challenge because they thought that he would withdraw, one that could make the average druid feel as if he had run all day without food and water, and everyone thought that he was magically powerless right now. 

He was about to prove them wrong. He was going to win this contest, not for the glory that he would achieve, but for the sake of his friend, the one that believed in him even after he was made to swallow that horrible thing for the first time when he was twelve (and watched in first row the chewing down that Emrys gave the teachers).

_It was a normal day in Sanctuary, everyone was minding their own business and two teachers were putting forward a plan they had concocted a while ago. They were going to ask Eghan to come near the school for the excuse of extra classes, and they wanted to trick him into drinking a potion that suppressed his magic so that they could expel him. They mixed his water with the potion just in time, because the boy appeared and he went to drink, but stopped at the lasts moment, looking at the liquid in a strange way. Then, nonchalantly, spilled it on the grass without a care in the world. The teachers saw red and paralyzed him with a spell. He shouted mentally, but the druids knew that no one would believe the boy, so they forced the suppressor down Eghan’s throat. Not two seconds later Emrys himself appeared, with his magic angrily swirling around him and demanding an explanation. That wasn’t in the plan, and by the looks of it they were screwed._

_Emrys was enraged, angry couldn’t begin to express what he was feeling. The poor teachers were cowering in a heap on the floor while he glared angrily at them. Eghan was scared, his constant companion that had been with him since he was five was muted. He could still feel his magic, but it was impossibly faint. Then he smiled blindly at where he could feel his friend’s magic, it was different, but the basics were still there. And he whispered a faint “thank you”, while Merlin’s magic covered him like a cocoon and rocked him to sleep._

He watched closely his opponents, trying to gauge who would be the most problematic and easily found him, but he knew that everyone was going to attack him at the first chance they got, so he kept searching for the strongest average person. He located the ones that could be easily dispatched, and the ones that had fame of being unpredictable and catalogued them in a painstakingly slowly way. 

The others were showing off their magic, making it bigger and stronger that it really was, but Eghan was used to facing a quarter of the power of Emrys without flinching so it wasn’t even a conscious effort. Be as it may, he never once underestimated them, he knew that the minimal mistake could be fatal for him. He remembered fondly the first _class_ Merlin had taught him, about how to modulate his magic to make it seem it was something else, and that’s how he had realized that he was far more important that a lowly child that had his magic suppressed.

_Eghan woke up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by soft pillows, and he burrowed deeper, not wanting to leave. A soft familiar chuckle made him look up, and he saw his friend sitting on a chair, in front of him a stack of documents that by the looks of it he was signing and softly shaking his head in amusement. Eghan blushed, completely smitten with the sound, and looked everywhere but the object of his affection. That’s when he noticed the high quality of everything and the impressive amount of food there. He couldn’t ask, because Merlin was in front of him in a second, sitting in the edge of the bed putting one hand on his forehead, muttering a diagnostic spell of the state of his magic._

_Eghan tensed, it was magic like nothing he had ever experienced, every sorcerer he had met that he thought they were powerful now being outclassed by his friend, his magic was a sea. Compared to him the others were less than a drop of magic._

_And then he realized, and he felt foolish for not having connected the dots earlier, but wanted to see how Merlin would react in this situation before telling him that he knew the truth._

_“Do you remember anything?” the worry in Merlin’s voice was unmistakable, and Eghan felt himself melt at having his attention on him, and then he remembered what caused him to be in this state._

_“I was going near the school because, as I told you earlier, they were going to teach me some tricks to control my magic, never mind that since you helped me my spells have been intentionally big or small so I could control my magic better. They were there, looking at me suspiciously, but I was thirsty so I went to drink the water, but my ring started burning, so I spilled everything in the grass” Eghan dared to look at Merlin, that had a mix between a pleased and a completely angry face, and realized it must have been him who put the spells on the ring when he resized it._

_“Then they used a spell and before I realized I was shouting mentally for you” at that Eghan blushed hard, but Merlin only grasped his hand and squeezed it a little in support. “Then they made me drink that disgusting potion and I panicked. I remember Emrys being there, angry shouting at the teachers, and your magic holding me as I fell asleep”_

_He didn’t see Merlin moving, but the next thing he knew he was being hugged hard. He was in shock for a moment, but smiled and returned it secretly relishing at being so close to his friend._

_“What do you feel Eghan?” the question startled him and he blushed, being thankful that he couldn’t see him. “How does your magic feel?” he let himself relax, he was asking for his magic, not for his feelings._

_“I feel better” when the words left him he realized they were the truth, the feeling of his magic being out of his reach had almost receded, and he told Merlin. What he didn’t expect was the delighted laugh that sounded, had sworn to himself to make him laugh a lot more._

_What followed were hours filled with practicing modulating their magic, and when Eghan was an expert, the next sessions (scattered through the next following years) started on magical combat and spell casting, along with creativity on how to use it, how to evaluate your opponent and so on._

_In one of those, when Merlin was thirteen and he fourteen, he finally filled himself with courage and admitted that he knew that he was Emrys, ever since the suppressor incident. What he didn’t expect was Merlin telling him that he knew that he knew, after all “you’re intelligent Eghan, and you’re a true friend. I know you, you have been trying so hard to not have anything changed for my sake that I feel myself caring for you more every day”_

_After that they both decided that the conversation was not going to be mentioned again and their dynamic continued as normal.  
_

When he returned to the present he smiled at Emrys and waited for the competition to start. He had been training long and hard for this moment and he could NOT fail. An enemy sorcerer, looked at him with concern, after all he was the youngest of them all, as some of them were fifty or older. Then their attention was captured by Alator, the one that was refereeing the contest, who explained the rules and the ultimate goal of this contest happening.

“We are here to watch the First Tournament of Magic. The prize is an ancient vase rumored to be made by the first sorcerer that walked the Earth. Of course, this relic will have to conserve its unbreakable charms, but that it’s the only condition. The rules are as following:

Rule number 1: No magical objects with extra protection are allowed, only staffs.  
Rule number 2: This Tournament is faking a battle, so you will have to aim to kill. The wards surrounding the zone will prevent the spells to hit the crowd and another will retire the contestant that is about to be killed, meaning that no life will be in real danger, but it won’t prevent the contestants of getting hurt. Healers will be on the edges of the field.  
Rule number 3: Normal weapons are allowed.  
Rule number 4: If you want to retire send white sparks. The wards will read your intention.  
Rule number 5: This is an all-for-all battle. You can make alliances, but only one can be standing at the end.

At my signal I want you all to start fighting. Do your best because you are risking something more than the prize. You will have two minutes to move yourselves through the arena. Good luck, and may Magic be with you.”

Alator spelled a countdown while the contestants ran to their places. The arena was changed from the normal clearing, it had a mountain, several rocks, a lake, a river and so on. 

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to let Eghan compete, after all he has been given a magic suppressor, and there are thirty or so challengers” No one knew about their friendship, so it was normal that Alice was fretting over a fifteen-year-old teenager, but Merlin was sure that his friend could beat them, but if he didn’t reach the end at least he would give a good show. “And before you ask, yes, the druids responsible had been locked in their tent”

“It is a good idea” Merlin said surely. He was excited, finally he would see the faces of all the people who didn’t believe in Eghan when they realized he had duped everyone, but was internally enraged that they had forced yet _another_ suppressor in his system. He had faith in him, but if this didn’t go as he wanted it to go… heads would roll. He fiddled with Eghan’s ring, trying to calm himself and play his part, and then smirked quietly. He had the last word, and no one could say anything, except his Council, but if he explained himself he had the argument won.

When the two minutes had almost passed, he searched for Eghan, and when he found him he sent a wave of calmness towards him. Eghan visibly relaxed, and smirked to himself because he had been training for this since the teachers gave him the suppressor, expanding his magical control and spell repertoire, not to mention that he had fought Emrys (when He was suppressing 98% of his power) and he had stood his ground (more or less). The suppressor made things trickier, but he was sure he could do it. Merlin had faith in him and he wasn’t going to let him down.

Then without warning Alator sent red sparks from his staff and the wards appeared. Everyone started sending spells, and from the thirty challengers, only roughly eighteen remained. Eghan smiled, no one was paying attention to him, after all he had hidden behind the rock. He closed his eyes and felt the body heat of his rivals, and formulated a plan. 

They were circling each other, so he concentrated hard and casted the correct spell, shouting at the air for effect. It was bad for his unnoticed approach, but he wanted to compete because he was tired of being underestimated.

The other rivals were taken by surprise when a spell was being shouted. They stopped the circling and laughed at the boy, because what he was chanting was on the magical levels of the Council, and everyone knew that he was given a suppressor. What they didn’t expect was the earth to part and swallow half of them.

When they regained their footing they finally saw the evil smirk that graced Eghan’s face and took several steps backwards, finally feeling his magic almost unleashed for the first time. It rivaled and even surpassed those of members of the Council. Most shudder to think what would have happened without the suppressor. And he didn’t seem winded at all!

In the stands everyone was frozen, the children that used to bully him were _very_ afraid for their lives, the council were thinking of ways of recruiting him without making it obvious and Merlin was having the time of his life paying attention to the faces that Eghan had described him as his main bullies. Oh, how he was enjoying himself!

When everything winded down, Eghan winning by making a tornado and a storm, every single challenger was scared shitless of the boy and gave him a wide berth when he jogged to the Council to receive his reward, resuming his control over his magic expertly. They were wide-eyed, after all, he was only fifteen! 

When he was in front of Emrys he bowed from the waist and couldn’t stop smiling when the proud magic of his friend washed over him, filling him with joy. Merlin, for his part, was ecstatic, not only had Eghan beaten up the opponents, but he had _crushed_ them. And it was always a plus that the Council had noticed him, after all, they were discussing a bodyguard near his age. But for now he would enjoy his friend's win, everything would be alright.

The party afterwards was a new experience for Eghan, who was used to waiting till Merlin finished his formalities and then go to _save_ him from dying from boredom. Now, after the reveal of his capabilities he was surrounded constantly and he didn’t like the situation, not one bit. He didn’t know how Merlin did it, but for him it was torture. _” Well, he complains about it a lot, so maybe I just underestimated the boredom of the event”_

He went on autopilot, thanking Magic that Merlin had taught him manners so that he could survive in a social event, but came to himself when the crowd dispersed, and he turned around, finding Aliana, the royal healer. He bowed out of respect and waited. He scanned the crowd and he didn’t find any of the Council Members or Emrys, for all matter, so if he wasn’t wrong he was in for an interview.

_“You aren’t wrong Eghan, you aren’t wrong”_ He almost jumped when Merlin’s voice reached him, and frowned when he registered the resigned and tired tone that his friend was using. _” We are in for a loooong meeting, both of us”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that I have clear what I'm going to do, so the updates will take longer from now on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this book. The next book it's Merlin's arrival to Camelot.

“Do you really have to go?” the emotion those words conveyed were well hidden, but the other person could hear clear as day the despair of having to part from each other.

“You know I do” the words were followed by a kiss on the shortest’s forehead that would only make their following years apart sadder.

“Why can’t I go with you?” they both knew the answer, but the tallest chuckled sadly and caressed his partner’s face.

“Because this kingdom would fall apart the second the both of us are gone” Eghan closed his eyes, relishing in Merlin’s attentions. He smiled slightly and willed himself to stop trembling from head to toe. He remembered that when they confessed they were in the exact same position, in the place where he saw his Lord use magic for the first time.

_Merlin was walking through the Main Village, one that was under construction since he was seven years old. He was walking with a purpose, trying not to startle anyone that saw him in his hood. It was a hot summer day and he was going with a clear destination in mind, the forge. When he arrived, the sound of the hammer hitting the anvil calmed him, but he saw that Eghan wasn’t there, so he kept searching for his bodyguard. He had been in that position since the First Tournament and he had trained with Alator himself, and some sorcerers too. And then it hit him, the training field. He changed course while he berated himself, how could he have forgotten the training field?_

_When Merlin arrived he saw Alator drinking some water, and Eghan a little further doing the same, but then his bodyguard took off his shirt and he dumped the rest of the water on himself and nodded at Alator to continue. Merlin’s heart was beating a million miles per minute and he thanked Magic for having to wear a hood, because he was sure that his thoughts about Eghan were reflected on his face. He sat down in the spectator seats and thanked magic again for the hood. He wouldn’t know what to do if Eghan (or anyone else for that matter) caught him ogling his bodyguard._

_When they finished Merlin decided to give Eghan a little heart attack and started clapping. The effect was instantaneous, Eghan’s face becoming red in record time. Alator bowed to their Lord and left the scene shaking his head fondly at the two of them._

_When they were alone Merlin signaled for Eghan to follow him and he put on a shirt and obeyed. Their relationship had changed little over the year in which Eghan had been his bodyguard, they still joked, laughed and endured social functions the two of them together, but Eghan was aware that something had changed. He always loved Merlin, but now it wasn’t only platonic affection, he had fallen head over heels for his Lord. Irrevocably._

_Both of them were nervous, not knowing how to express their feelings, but Merlin decided to approach the topic in a comfortable place. They arrived at their clearing, in which they were some faeries playing, but they left as soon as they saw them approaching._

_With a wave of Merlin’s hand there was an impenetrable bubble surrounding the clearing that made it invisible. When that was done Merlin made a show of fumbling with the hood’s knot while Eghan watched amused and batted Merlin’s hands away and he dedicated those moments to calming his beating heart, knowing that he was the only one allowed at helping him dress or undress in any form (to a point, always the superficial layers) because he hated being helped with something he could do by himself._

_When the knot was untied, Eghan moved so that he was behind his lord and took off his cape, and his fingers brushed his neck. The tension was thick, and Eghan hanged the hood in a low branch and approached Merlin again, this time knowing that the air around them was different. Then, without any warning, Merlin’s hand was caressing his cheek, his eyes full with an emotion he thought he would never be the receiver of. His eyes closed as he tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach, but nothing made them stop fluttering and trying to go up his throat._

_Then it happened, their lips met and Eghan was in shock, he had dreamt of this moment more than once, but it was a hundred times better in reality. Then, as sudden as is came it was gone, and Merlin was looking at him with… regret? Eghan’s heart dropped to his feet, but then started actually hearing what Merlin had to say._

_“… orry, I shouldn’t have done that, it was inappropriate…” Eghan stopped him mid-rambling by kissing him again. That shut him up right away, and Eghan reassured himself that it was real. When they separated for breathing Eghan took advantage of the silence that followed and started speaking:_

_“My Lord…” Merlin looked scandalized and so heartbroken that Eghan made damage control and cursed “Merlin, I love you for you, not because some bloody rank, I love your quirks and your laugh, the way a room brightens when you smile, when you get flustered because something I did…” he trailed off and smirked. Needless to say that there wasn’t conversation for a while._

_Some time later Merlin was sitting with his back on a tree while Eghan was sprawled on the floor with his head on his Lord’s lap, both smiling like fools. Merlin didn’t want this moment to end. He knew he had to go home, but one night wasn’t important in the great scheme of things, and he could always say he had fell asleep in the forest, so the kept caressing Eghan’s hair repeatedly in comfortable silence, but it was broken by Eghan._

_“You know I’ve been yours since before you marked me, don’t you? The Council didn’t force to do something I didn’t want to do. I did it willingly because you’re my Lord, the only one that will have my loyalty” Merlin bristled, never liking the way things had gone the night of the First Tournament. The Council forced Eghan to swear himself to him and Merlin’s magic took it quite literal. He hated the mark, but Eghan liked it, so he kept quiet on the topic. The only thing that kept him for lashing out was the way Eghan stood, proudly and without shame (that and a lot of mental reassurances that he was okay with doing this)_

_The mark in question was a merlin bird flying and at the background the triskelion. He caressed the mark, that was just above Eghan’s right hip and was rewarded with a shiver from the other boy. He smirked and kept repeating the movement, while his eyes roamed the shortest’s face, stopping on the lips._

_No one saw a glimpse of them till the next morning._

Eghan returned to reality when Merlin held his hand with worried eyes, trying to convey his feelings with only that, but Eghan took a step backwards with a resigned look, letting Merlin’s hands fall to the side. 

Merlin closed his eyes, ever since their visit to the Crystal Cave Eghan acted strange towards him, not letting him out of his sight as if he turned around Merlin was going to disappear on him, but that could be because the bandit attack before arriving at the Cave. He was awed at his bodyguard’s skill, but he was worried, because ever since that day, Eghan started spending more time with Alator and other members on the Council to train himself to react quicker to an attack. But the thing that had scared him the most was the lengths that Eghan was willing to go for his safety and wellbeing.

_Eghan was nervous, this was his first real mission, the druids told them that Lord Emrys had to go to the Crystal Cave to learn of his destiny, and he was going only with him._

_The forest was quiet except for the neighing of the horses, and Eghan’s nerves were about to carry him to an early grave. He knew they were being watched and that they were surrounded, but without knowing how many were there it was impossible to simultaneously fight the bandits and protect Lord Emrys. Meanwhile, Eghan and Merlin were talking about inconsequential things, trying not to tip off the bandits that they knew they were there._

_Merlin was calm, he knew that bandits were not rivals for them, but he had to take in consideration Eghan’s nerves of being the first time they were alone outside of Sanctuary, so he made an invisible protection bubble around them, and just in time._

_The forest exploded around them, at least twenty bandits rushed out of their hiding places, but Eghan was ready, he made a fire wall that turned to ashes most of them, and the unlucky ones that didn’t die were swallowed by the Earth. That happened in less than a minute, and Merlin was shocked, after all he never saw the depth of the devotion that Eghan professed him, but he concentrated on extinguishing the fire before the whole forest would burn down, but to his continued surprise the fire didn’t burn down the trees, only humans._

_“We need to get to the Crystal Cave soon” the dangerous tint in Eghan’s voice was unmistakable and Merlin took the reins and returned to the path trying to shake the feeling of uneasiness that surrounded him at seeing his lover destroy life._

“You’ve been distant ever since the talk we had with Taliesin about my destiny, did something happen while I was inside?” Eghan closed his eyes, while Merlin picked up his travelling bag that was enchanted to have an expansion charm. He had to go to say goodbye to his mother, after all, she was the one that had put in motion his destiny.

Merlin was sure that something had changed right at that moment, but Eghan didn’t want to talk about it, so he respected his decision. What he didn’t know was that his bodyguard didn’t have the minimum intention of telling him anything for a long time.

Eghan reflected the trip that had changed his life, making it a race against the clock. He didn’t regret anything, but he also knew that it was partly his fault too, after all, he knew their relationship was a secret for a reason. He suspected that at least Alice and Alator knew something, but they were discreet and they wouldn’t go telling about it (how wrong he was, the second that Alice caught wind of their love she called an informal council meeting and spread the news, and many people collected their betting money).

_They arrived to the cave without any more problems and they dismounted. Eghan went to tie the horses on a tree and when he returned he saw his Lord talking with an old man. Then, he signaled to the entrance of the Cave and Merlin entered slowly, almost reverently._

_Eghan was left alone with the man, that introduced himself as Taliesin, and started conversing amicably till the serious chat started._

_“Come with me, Eghan” The voice had changed, no longer was normal, it was full with power. He walked towards the Crystal Cave, and Eghan didn’t have any other choice but to follow him. They passed crystals and crystals, till he got lost in the place where everything seemed the same. “Look into this crystal”_

_The voice was sure of itself, but Eghan knew that they showed the future and he didn’t want that, but he didn’t have any choice if he wanted to be reunited with Merlin outside. Trembling in fear, he glanced at the surface, and his heart dropped to his feet, there was Merlin’s wedding, marrying someone else, the face was blurred. The only sure thing is that it was Merlin. He was on the background, being the best man with a happy smile, but he knew that he must have been dying inside._

_“That can’t be true” Eghan negated quietly, for he knew it was futile. “Why? Why do you show me this?” His voice felt sad and broken to his own ears, but he didn’t care. His heart was breaking at an alarming rate, and the man was looking at him with a pitying look._

_“Because Destiny cannot be avoided, young man” Taliesin’s words were full of longing, and Eghan wondered if he had a similar experience, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that it mattered was that his heart was breaking in little pieces. He didn’t notice that he was moving till he heard the river running, and Taliesin offering him water. He took it without much thought and drank it greedily, he hadn’t noticed how thirsty he was._

_“Why does it hurt so much? My heart feels like it’s breaking!” Eghan sat down heavily in the grass and moved his knees towards himself and hid his face in his hands. Taliesin’s words were not comforting, but true nonetheless._

_“That is what you get for falling for one side of the coin”_

_When Merlin returned from the inside of the cave a few hours later, he saw his bodyguard talking sadly with Taliesin, and when he approached them, the Guardian of the Cave shot his lover a long sad look that made his nerves stand on edge, but he chose to keep quiet and respect his privacy, as he always had done, he wasn’t going to start demanding to know everything. The ride back was quiet, but neither chose to break the somber silence that had fallen between them._

Eghan watched his partner sadly, but kissed him passionately and tried to convey all his love in that kiss. The next morning his lover would go to Ealdor, spend the day with his mother. The next day he would travel to Camelot to fulfill his destiny, and Eghan knew that the second that Merlin laid his eyes on the Once and Future King he would lose him forever, so he decided to relish their last moments as a couple.

He would never stop loving him, he would always be by his side when he called him, but he wanted Merlin to be happy and if he needed to get out of the picture so that he would meet his soulmate he would do it.

Taliesin’s words rang true in his head:

“That is what you get for falling for one side of the coin”


	5. Eghan's tattoo

Some of you have asked me about Eghan's tattoo, so here it is. He can make it invisible, but he choses not to. I hope you like it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, give kudos if you liked the story!
> 
> The next book in the series is already posted. Hope you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> Please, comment what you think about the fic, it really boosts my confidence and motivation.


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